


March 17th

by nectarimperial



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 10:25:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6280858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nectarimperial/pseuds/nectarimperial
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What was that for?" Jude asks, swatting at the spot on his shoulder. </p><p>"Look, you're cute and all but you've got to obey the rules of St. Patrick's Day. No green, get pinched."</p>
            </blockquote>





	March 17th

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cherrim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherrim/gifts).



> For Cherrim <3
> 
> @Cherrim: two ppl just crashed into each other on the sidewalk outside sbux & started talking. i ship it???  
> @nectarimperial_ @Cherrim imagine your otp

There's bags under his eyes when Jude finally stumbles into the coffee shop. It's still chilly by mid-morning in March, the air just crisp enough for a light cardigan, but after staying up all night studying for his afternoon midterm, Jude stood disoriented at the counter waiting for his quad latte wrapped underneath a scarf and a coat and a lopsided hat that Leia knitted for him last Christmas. The other patrons in the coffee shop seem to be moving at a snail's pace, but he wonders if that might just be his own exhaustion getting the better of him. He hopes that the coffee will help him wake up enough to bubble in the Scantron and fall back asleep on the hard mattress in his dorm room, but with how little he's been sleeping the last few days, it isn't likely.

Finally the barista calls his name and he stumbles to the counter, grabbing three different coffees and reading the labels before finally picking the right one. Slinging his stuffed backpack over one shoulder, Jude starts wandering toward the exit, looking at the screen on his smartphone, trying to calculate exactly how much he could study in the library before his exam.

It's about two hours, he thinks, and if he skips lunch he could probably stretch it to two and half hours and have ten minutes to get to class, but Jude figures he really shouldn't skip lunch considering the last thing he ate was half a granola bar at -

And he crashes head first into something – no, someone – more latte ending up on the other person's clothes than what’s left in his paper cup. For a second, he just freezes, sleep deprived mind trying to catch up that this had actually just happened.

"Hey, kid, c'mon, watch where you're going. Sheesh, this scarf's designer," a voice above Jude complains and he looks up at a rather tall man, untying the scarf from around his neck, shaking the fabric out on the concrete.

"Sorry, I just, wait, I'll get, just," Jude stammers and drops his backpack on the sidewalk, scurrying inside to grab a stack of napkins, and returns faster than he's probably moved all morning, handing them to the man. He's looking at Jude with one eyebrow raised and begins to blot the bottom of his scarf, muttering a ‘thanks’ underneath his breath.

"Hey," he starts, "don't worry about it too much, it's not my favorite or anything. Green really isn't my color."

"Right, well, it's nice," Jude says, and he isn't sure why he's standing there engaging in conversation with a complete stranger, but he was, and he is, and honestly he doesn't really know how to wiggle himself out of it at this point so he just continues, "I like it."

He laughs and wads the napkins into a little ball, tossing them carelessly on the one of the outdoor tables, "I guess I should wear it more often if it impresses people like you," the man says with a wink and then stops, frowning, wrinkle forming between his shaped eyebrows and gives Jude the tiniest of pinches.

"What was that for?" Jude asks, swatting at the spot on his shoulder.

"Look, you're cute and all but you've got to obey the rules of St. Patrick's Day. No green, get pinched," he laughs and then stops, "But look, I'll make it up to you. There's more coffee on the concrete and my scarf, let me buy you a new one."

Jude's about to agree, because, well, if he did skip lunch, he could probably justify getting coffee with a handsome stranger and still have enough time to review his study materials, but he supposed if he reviewed a little on his phone he could extend the time by another fifteen minutes or so – and then he stops, snapping his head up.

"It's St. Patrick's Day," he announces, and the man snorts.

"Sure is, kid, Thursday March 17th."

Jude doesn't even register that he's dropped the rest of his latte on the sidewalk and pulls his phone out of the back of his jeans, checking the time. 10:21AM. It's Thursday, which means his exam isn't today, it's tomorrow. And his next class is about to start in less than ten minutes. He isn't too far from the university, but certainly more than nine minutes worth of walking.

“I-” Jude finally starts, “I have to go, I have class, I'm going to be so late, so late. So, so, so late.” He turns and starts walking in the direction of the university, completely tuning out his surroundings.

"You know, 'no' would've worked too," the man teases, and Jude stops, remembering that only moments ago he was engaged in conversation with some guy he dumped his coffee all over, and figures he should at least give a proper 'good-bye'. Setting his backpack on a table, he shuffles around in the front pocket and finds a pen. Clicking it open, he grabs his paper cup from where it'd been sitting on the ground and scrawls his phone number across the side.

"I'm Jude," he says, finishing his number and throwing his pen back in his case, zipping it shut.

"Alvin. You do this often?"

"What?"

"You know, drop your latte all over a handsome stranger and then give 'em your number."

"No, but keep talking and you'll be the first and last," he says, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm holding you to coffee," Jude finishes, before turning on his heel and departing toward his next class a couple of blocks away. Behind him, he hears Alvin giving one last remark.

"Don't drop it on me next time, kid."

Jude laughs – maybe today isn't so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, thank you!


End file.
